Meet Phillip Van Nostrand: Photographer and Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Phillip Van Nostrand and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Phillip, what do you want your legacy to be?
That I inspired others. I encouraged and lifted up everyone I came in contact with.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a professional photographer and I fell in love with photography by way of TRAVEL. What sets me apart is my amazing ability to deliver quality photos faster than any other photographer. Also my curly hair. I got to where I am today with the help of great mentors in Santa Barbara where I started my career. I got to where I am today by moving myself to New York and elevating my photography career in the big city. Then I elevated my career again by attending Engage Summits, a luxury wedding/events conference. For me the past 12 years felt very easy, nicely paced, and altogether a positive experience. I feel very lucky. Challenges for me were: Moving to a new city and starting networking/finding clients from scratch. I just worked very hard to meet as many people as possible, said yes to nearly everything, and made myself busy, whether with paid or free projects. I did a lot of favors for a lot of people and those favors have come back in a variety of ways to bless my life. I want people to know that I truly believe the secret to success is the quality of your relationships. My best jobs have come from people that I love and who love me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting me, I would take them along my daily life, since it varies so much week-to-week. We would end up at a private social club to do work during the day, eat at awesome restaurants throughout the city, wander through Chinatown to get my film rolls developed, and meet up with friends in Central Park. We’d end up in Brooklyn (DUMBO) to check out skyline views and ride citibikes through the city. We’d play pingpong at PingPod, this amazing self service table tennis location. We would eat at Kiki’s Diner, the best greek in Manhattan, get bubble tea from Tiger Sugar, have a breakfast at Sunday to Sunday, try some Australian brunch at Dudley’s, all on the Lower East Side. Depending on if things are open, we’d end up at a late night comedy show or a local music venue. I would try to keep things as local as possible! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shoutout three organizations: Caveday, Six Degrees Society, and Jet Black Social Club for getting me through 2020 with community and friendships and productivity.

Website: https://www.phillipvn.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/phillipvn

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-van-nostrand-4baa3832/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phillipvn

Image Credits
I was the photographer for all of these images